Who’s Going to Kim’s Funeral?

Senior North Korean officials visit the Kumsusan Memorial Palace to pay their respects to Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on Tuesday.

The funeral of a head of state in any country is a major logistical operation. The send off for Kim Jong Il next Wednesday provides its own unique challenges for North Korea’s administrators, not least sorting out who’ll be on the guest list from the dysfunctional Kim family.

According to Korean tradition, the eldest son is supposed to take charge of his father’s funeral. That’s not going to happen this time around, and it’s highly unlikely first son Kim Jong Nam will even be there. Jong Nam has been in effective exile from North Korea for several years, having apparently ruined his dictatorship credentials for good by attempting to enter Japan in 2001 on a fake passport so that he could have some fun at Tokyo Disneyland.

Associated Press

Kim Jong Nam

The pudgy Jong Nam now spends most of his time in the glitzy casino city of Macau and is more fond of Armani shirts and jeans than his father’s dictator-style Mao jumpsuits. It may even be dangerous for him to try to attend the funeral, with Kim Jong Eun reportedly having targeted him as a threat to his ascension to power. In recent media interviews, Jong Nam has disavowed any interest in politics.

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It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any sign of Kim Han Sol, Jong Nam’s son, at the funeral. He was the subject of a media frenzy in October when he was tracked down at a private school in Bosnia. Journalists who searched his online activity found messages supportive of the North Korean regime and references to trips he has made to Pyongyang in recent years.

Kim Jong Il’s second son, Kim Jong Chul, will probably be at the funeral. He isn’t seen as a threat to Jong Eun and appears to shun the spotlight. He made headlines in February this year when he popped up in Singapore on a trip to see Eric Clapton play. Mr. Clapton isn’t currently touring so there’s no clash of events to worry about.

Kim Jong Il’s half-brother, Kim Pyong Il, North Korea’s permanent ambassador to Poland, may be in attendance. A media report Thursday said he had left Warsaw.

Officially, North Korea has said it won’t accept any foreign delegations at the funeral, but there are likely to be two from South Korea. The government in Seoul has said it will allow Lee Hee-ho, the wife of the late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, to attend the funeral after the North sent representation to the funeral of her husband in 2009.

Associated Press

Princess Tenko

Also going with Seoul’s approval is Hyun Jeong-eun, the chairwoman of Hyundai Group, which has extensive business interests in the North. A twist to her visit is that North Korea earlier this year seized Hyundai assets at the Kumgang mountain resort so she may be looking to discuss business while she’s there.

Another mourner expected to travel from overseas is the Japanese female magician known as Princess Tenko. Media in Japan report that she has received emails and phone calls from Pyongyang inviting her to attend. Ms. Tenko has performed twice in Pyongyang at the invitation of Kim Jong Il and has enjoyed other invitations for dinner with the late Mr. Kim, according to the Yomirui Shimbun.